Remember, dogs can die in hot cars

By Alyssa Allen

As temperatures rise again in south-eastern Australia, a plea to be mindful of your domestic pets. Dr Arthur Frauenfelder, veterinarian at the Hume Animal Hospital in Albury in southern NSW says people with pets, particularly dogs, should bring them inside under the air conditioner. Dr Frauenfelder, who is also the President of the local RSPCA, says the worst thing you can do is leave a dog in a hot car, even if it is a quick trip to the supermarket.

"People maybe leave the windows down just a little bit, think they're only jumping into the supermarket, they get distracted and they get back ten minutes later and their dog can actually be dead because the air, with the panting, the air becomes quite hot and it can reach fifty degrees in about four minutes in a hot car."

Dr Frauenfelder has treated six heat-specific cases with dogs at the Hume Animal Hospital in the past ten days and another six cases involving older dogs succumbing to the heat.

"It's a good idea to keep them inside, don't put them in the garage and don't expect that just because you got our mate tied up in a backyard under the shade that you're right, because no, it is very hot and when there is a hot breeze, it really stresses the animals."

"It's all very well to hose them off, but you have got to get that heat out of the body, if you just hose a dog off and leave it, all the hair then will cause a jacket of water to sit there, that water then becomes hot and it becomes a heating jacket, so it makes it actually worse."

He recommends that dogs with long hair should be kept trimmed to two centimetres in length.

Symptoms that indicate your dog is suffering from a heat-related illness are:

- Panting

- Wide open mouth breathing with distress

- Red gums and red tongue

- Passing manure uncontrollably

- Not passing urine for the last four or five hours

- Collapse

Dr Frauenfelder advises that if your dog is suffering from any of these symptoms, the best action to take is to place your dog in a cold bath.

If your dog continues to be distressed, proceed to the vet immediately.